I am needing some help on what my options are on my manifold bolts..i have everything stripped off and ready for my heads to come out....except my manifold bolts will not budge. I tried to remove and heads began to round out so i stopped trying. I got a long enough extension and tried to unbold from underneath with a tork wrench and with a socket and i can't get them to move a inch. any option on removal, and if i have to cut it off where do i cut it at and what do i use to cut it off? i swear this truck is the devil.....if it's not one thing it's another? any advice would be richly appreciated.

 

get some PB BLASTER and spry them down and try it again may have to spray them a 2nd tim but it will come off

 

I used a dremel cut off wheel at the end of a flexible extension. Those exhaust mani bolts are stainless steel and gall inside the cast iron head. But they cut pretty easy.

 

Can I tell you bout Manifold Bolts...you betcha! Went to change head gaskets several months ago. Previous owner ROUNDED the heads off Manifold Bolts. Had to BREAK the Crossover Flange Bolts off the Manifolds(2 on each side)cause all the PB Blaster in the world didn't free them. Then pulled the Heads off with the Manifolds still attached. Took a Craftsman Broken Bolt Remover to the rounded off bolt heads...didn't work! Then I took a Grinder and ground the bolt heads off. Removed the Manifolds. Took a hacksaw and cut one of the bolts off even with the head. Took a punch and made a pilot hole in the center of the bolt. Then got a drill and used every type of bit they make from the softest to the hardest. After drilling on that 1 bolt for bout 3 hours I decided that was NOT gonna get it! Soooo, then I got a propane torch and some vice grips and after heating each one of the bolts and twisting and twisting it still took me 8(I repeat...8)hours to get them out! If i'd had a Cutting Torch I could've gotten them out alot quicker. The propane torch will work it just doesn't get near hot enough quick enough. Another thing...REALLY IMPORTANT!!! Called the local Ford place. They wanted $248.00 for those Manifold Bolts! I live in the "sticks" so I called a Fastener Warehouse in Shreveport(LA.)bout 70 miles north of me, told them what I needed and asked how much? Guy told me $15.48 including tax. Told him, "I'll be there in an hour and a half"! Also, I torqued them to exact specs. That way if I ever have to take them out again it wont be a problem. Overtorqueing will get ya everytime

 

Heck, it's not even over torque in some cases. We just removed ours with the 2.9 in the bronco II. Two bolts came out of the head easy. The rest? Snapped off!

This is where Ford's design team should be kicked square in the tuckas. The bolts are flat out to LONG and THIN!! The amazing amount of heat generated by the exhaust transfers to the bolts...any oil from the valve covers dripping on the manifold makes its way to the bolts (don't ask how I learned that one....) It's one big mess!!

Does anyone at Ford know what Metal Fatigue is? It's gonna break down due to the constant expansion and contraction of the parts. The only thing I can recommend to save a future headache? Coat the snot out of the threads with the anti-seize compound of your choice. (the type they use on o2 sensors does work well)

On our last project (ford probe GT, 1992) we had broken studs to extract from the cylinder head. Local ford garage was useless, and flat out didn't care. We wound up going to a Fastener shop that has just about anything with a thread. Cost under $8 bucks to replace all the studs in one shot.

Moral of the story? Shop around, and use anti-seize when needed.

S-